The other night I saw Bob Dylan in concert. He is amazing. Not just because he's old and still rocking, but also because his repertoire of songs spans generations of change and a whole lifetime of emotions. I thought about how his song Blowing in the Wind became the theme song to the Vietnam War protests. And how We Shall Overcome (which he did not write) became the theme song to the Civil Rights Movement. Then I thought...we need a theme song to the organic food revolution!
There are a lot of great songs about farming: Amarillo Sky, by Jason Aldean, Rain is a Good Thing, by Luke Bryan, International Harvester, by Craig Morgan. But none of them really carries the right message.
What about songs about food? There is a song from the '80s that could qualify: Moving to the Country, Gonna Eat a Lot of Peaches, by The Presidents of the United States of America. Heard of them lately? No. But I did have the thought as I watched Bob Dylan sing Just Like a Woman and Tangled Up in Blue that seeing Bob Dylan is kind of like seeing ALL of the Presidents of the United States of America. For decades, he's been one consistent thing through all of them.
I think it must be really hard to write a good political song. Jackson Browne spent decades trying and still, all we want to listen to are the love songs. (The exception is My Personal Revenge.) And while there are TONS of great songs and music out there today, either the words are subtle and discreet or the topics are not appropriate to being our theme song.
So I'm asking all of you to help me out. Think about any song you know. Or if you know musicians, ask them to write a song that could be the theme song for the organic food revolution. Does anybody out there know Bob Dylan? I think his new songs are just as great as his old ones (Spirit on the Water, Beyond the Horizon...amazing!) Maybe he can put his creativity to work on food--although, as one friend said to me, he looks like he's shrinking. Maybe he needs to eat more.
I wrote on a Facebook update that I love the line from Spirit on the Water that says, "Pour some sugar in my bowl." And another friend said that it just wouldn't sound the same if he sung, "Pour some high-fructose corn syrup in my bowl."
I suspect there are a lot of great country musicians out there who really want to write radical songs about the organic food revolution but are afraid of offending their conservative fans.... C'mon Kenny! Keith! Gwyneth! You can do it! Or how about the Avett Brothers? Their fans wouldn't be offended at all.
So, let me know if you know any good songs that might work as our theme song. Or pass this post on to your musician friends. In fights like this, songs are so much more powerful than swords.
Related Links:
The Top 5 Greatest Mysteries of Housework, Plus Top 5 Records to Clean By - Maria's Farm Country Kitchen
Sounds to Sweat By: How To Match Your Tunes to Your Workout - Rodale.com
Music Is Motivation for Runners - Runner's World
For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.